![[FILE] Haif Muhammad Baraich (L) deputy regional head of Islamic political party Jamiat Ulma-e-Islam Nazaryati, attends a protest against the US raid that killed Osama Bin Laden, in Kuchlak, on the outskirts of Quetta, Pakistan on 06 May 2011. FEE/FILE](https://i0.wp.com/efe.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/rss-efea48f9f57782e35bb60f700537d23dffba3cac30ew.jpg?fit=1920%2C1334&ssl=1)
Islamabad, July 19 (EFE).- Authorities on Friday claimed to have arrested a senior leader of the global militant network al-Qaeda, describing him as a close associate of the late Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks on the US and once the world’s most-wanted “terrorist.”
The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) said Amin ul Haq, a UN-designated “global terrorist,” was arrested in an intelligence-based operation in the eastern Gujrat district of Punjab province.
“In a significant breakthrough in the fight against terrorism, CTD, in collaboration with intelligence agencies, successfully apprehended Amin ul Haq, a senior leader of Al-Qaeda,” a statement said.
The CTD said it had filed legal charges against Haq for sabotage, targeting important installations in Punjab, the country’s most populous province.
According to the statement, Haq had been associated with bin Laden since 1996.
However, no further details were provided regarding his specific role in al-Qaeda or his interactions with bin Laden.
The United Nations’ sanctions panel on ISIL (Da’esh) and al-Qaeda identifies Haq as Amin Muhammad ul Haq Saam Khan, listing him as a security coordinator for bin Laden as of January 2001.
Bin Laden was shot and killed at his compound in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad by US Navy SEALs in a CIA-led operation in 2011. EFE
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